TKs Frog House

When did you start your business?

1962 And we’re at the same location making it the longest existing surf shop in Orange County with the original address.

Do you consider the location of your shop a key factor to the business’s success?

Yes. The fact that we’re on PCH we have tons of exposure and we’re in close proximity to the Newport groin fields and the Santa Ana rivermouth.

Who is your average buyer?

Our average buyer is a guy living in Southern California that surfs. We consider ourselves more of a local shop rather than a tourist shop.

If a total Barney walks in do you treat him with the same respect as a full on loc?

Most likely yes.

What is the dumbest question that a customer has ever asked?

“Hey where do I get the bridge to Catalina?”

Do you have a mascot (ex. - An animal that roams freely throughout the building)?

Ya we have several and they’re called mice. When we get a hold of them they pay dearly for their lives.

What is the craziest return a customer has ever tried to make?

A pair of boardshorts that the customer swore he had never been used that had 5 inch skid marks in them.

Does your store support any local surfers or have a surf team?

Yes.

What is your most annoying grom story?

We had a grom in here one day talking so much shit that we took him outside and taped him to the light pole outside for 2 hours. Finally 2 cop cars drove by and realized he was taped to the pole. They un-taped him and walked him into the shop and asked him “who did it??” The kid responded that the guy wasn’t in here that did it. The kid is always welcome back here since he didn’t rat us out to the cops.

Have you ever had any type of celeb roll in and make a purchase?

Yes all of the time.

Have you ever pulled a hot chick/guy solely due to the fact that you own/manage a surf shop?

No. I am so damn good looking they seldom ask me a question, but yet just throw themselves at me.

How many days a week do you surf now compared to before you owned/managed a surf shop?

Nowadays I surf 6 days a week. Before I owned a shop I surfed 4 days a week.

Who is your favorite surfer and why?

Mikey Beho- Because he surfs with me 6 days a week even if the surf is shitty.

Has a customer trying on clothes ever walked out completely naked?

No, but several have called us into the dressing room while they were completely naked.

Has a person ever walked in totally blitzkrieged (really intoxicated) and tried to make a purchase? If so elaborate.

Yes- I told him that he can’t make a purchase because he’s late to work and he has to start working right now (sometimes our employees show up totally blitzkrieged).

Every store has to deal with shoplifting. What is your most memorable experience and what is your shoplifting policy?

Our shoplifting policy is to prosecute everyone and anyone who shoplifts. One of our most memorable experiences is one time I kid ran in and grabbed a bodyboard and ran out. When I chased him out he tried to jump into a station wagon , but didn’t quite make it all the way in the car so got dragged for about 60 feet. The driver then stopped and the kid tried to get in the car again, but still didn’t make it all the way in the car so got dragged another 60-80 feet. They then started to get away and my buddy that drove an ambulance happened to be driving by. He asked me what was up and I explained what was going on. He told me no problem and turned on his ambulance lights and chased after the car, also calling the police to help. They finally caught the kids and when I showed up to verify that they were the ones that stole the bodyboard the kid that got dragged by the car was being all bandaged up and taken to the hospital because he had cuts from being dragged basically all the way to the bone.

And last but not least tell us one of the craziest shop stories you can remember?

One time these kids came in and used an out of state check for 800 bucks. They then came in the next day and wrote another out of state check for 1,200 bucks. I called the out of state bank to see if the checks were legit and the account was closed. I asked what kind of car the kids were driving and if they got any more info from them. My fellow employees said that they were driving a truck and mentioned that they were staying at their grandma’s house in Garden Grove. Later that night after I took my wife out to dinner I told her that I wanted to go to Garden Grove and go look for these guys. I drove around Garden Grove for hours and finally came across a truck with Oregon plates. I called the cops and explained my situation and that these were the guys that wrote counterfeit checks to my shop. The cops brought about 5 cop cars to the house and knocked on the door. By this time it was 4 in the morning. An old lady answered the door. The cops explained to her what the issue was. A few minutes later the lady came out pulling 2 boys by their ear lobes. I ended up getting my 2k in product back. Pheeew.